A Henry David Thoreau Videogame?

Yes. You read that right. The National Endowment for the Arts has given the University of Southern California a $40,000 grant to create a game based on the work of Henry David Thoreau.

What kind of game is this going to be? Is it going to be another re-creation or re-imagining of some piece of literary history (like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)? Probably not. According to the NEA, the grant will be used,

To support production costs for a video game based on the writings of Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond. The player will inhabit an open, three-dimensional game world which will simulate the geography and environment of Walden Woods. Once developed, the game will be available online.

While this doesn’t necessarily come across as the most exciting game description ever, it is exciting to see quality content being considered for video games. What other classics that wouldn’t necessarily be considered gaming material would you like to see?

About the Author

The first game I played was Pong. The real Pong. After that, I took the plunge with the Atari 2600. It's been getting better ever since. Now I watch my two-year-old mastering iOS games; it gets me excited about the future. You can see my other life as a publishing consultant at cognitivesurplusmedia.com.